christians understand by freedom...
christians, what is freedom according to you???
i understand free will as the ability that god (according to you) grants people to do whatever god wants us to do...This free will would be the same free will slaves had, they could do whatever they want to do only if they did what their masters wanted to.
2007-09-17 11:52:25 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"free will as the ability that god (according to you) grants people to do whatever god wants us to do"
Wrong wrong wrong. It is the ability (that God grants us) to choose whatever path we decide. Everything is life has a choice. Sometimes the choices are good and sometimes bad. Sometimes there are good outcomes, sometimes bad. Hopefully we will make the correct decision.
It is no different then driving. You can choose to turn wherever you want. If you choose to turn the wrong way on a one way street, it is your fault. You made the wrong decision all by yourself. Nobody forced you to turn that way.
2007-09-17 11:56:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 4⤋
No, we have the freedom to do whatever we want to do...we can choose God's way or we can choose another way.
...but freedom does not mean the absence of consequences. I am absolutely free to disobey God's instructions about anything...but if I do, I have to be willing to pay the penalty. A law against murder (or theft or any number of other crimes) doesn't limit my freedom as a citizen of the U.S. The law of gravity doesn't limit my freedom to jump out of an airplane...but if I forget my parachute, the penalty is death.
Whatever way you want to interpret it, if God created the universe and us, he is the one the specified the environment...he's the one that combined all sorts of laws (e.g., the law of gravity) into the world as we know it. He also knows what we have to be capable of being/doing if we are to exist on his level. He knows that maintaining his home (heaven) requires unity...if the "people" that live there aren't united, his home would disintegrate into the chaos we see around us now. He tells us through the bible exactly what we need to do to be capable of this kind of unity with others...if we want to ignore him, why should we expect to be invited to share eternity with him?
If you want to view hell as some kind of punishment...a tool a slave driver uses to force people to comply, I guess that's understandable...but it makes me very sad. Why accept this part of the story and not the rest. Why would God create a place where he can torture us for eternity and then sacrifice himself so everyone could avoid going there? The only thing that makes sense and brings consistency to the picture is that hell just is...perhaps it was created by Adam and Eve when they chose death over obedience...perhaps it just exists because if God has a home then there has to be a place that is not his home...perhaps it is just eternal death. I don't have a clue what that "place" may be and neither does anyone else...all I know is that hell is what happens if you don't accept God's invitation to spend eternity with him.
2007-09-17 12:26:52 · answer #2 · answered by KAL 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you a slave when you follow laws? You aren't kept from going place to place...or being forced to work somewhere you don't choose. You have choices. Men's laws are fasioned after Gods laws...no killing, stealing, coveting, lying, adultry and etc...beyond that you are free to do with whatever you want. As far as free will with regards to eternal life...you either choose it or you don't. The burning in hell for eternity thing is a fallacy. If you don't belong to God, at the end of it all you simply vanish out of existance. The Bible doesn't support the doctrine of immediate dispensation to "heaven" or "hell". I could paste a bunch of scripture here but I'm sure you won't read it. You have this life...avoid being murdered by a non-law abiding person, dying of some horrible disease or by accident and you can have potientially 78 to 125 years to do whatever you want as long as you don't break laws, hurt someone else...be very careful and take care of yourself then you can just disapear. Kapeesh? Peace out, Dawg!!! Love in Christ, ~J~
2007-09-17 12:13:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is how it is. There is NO HELL. Only the absence of God. When we make bad choices (sin if you will) then we are moved farther from God. The Bible says we will be like moths drawn to flame and those of us that are further from God's light will be wanting (as the moth does) to be closer to God and that desire is our punishment. The Bible does not state Heaven and Hell. Man has put that in to scare people.
It looks as if you have fallen for the old "burn in the fiery pits of Hell" story. Only the followers of Satin will be cast in the Bottomless Pit. This says nothing about Hell.
Anyway enough preaching to answer your question. You DO have the freedom to choose just as you have the freedom to murder or steal. But just as there are consequences for your actions on Earth, there are spiritual consequences for your actions after death.
Your whole analogy is flawed, therefore you should retract your question or restate it. LOL
2007-09-17 12:27:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yea of little understanding " free will" the choice of any man/woman to become a Christians, atheist, Wiccans, non-christian, whatever they wish to be. Christians usually refer to free will as your choice to either believe in the Christ Jesus or not to.
2007-09-17 12:08:58 · answer #5 · answered by S.O.S. 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The free will is always within God's limits. God has a limitless free will,we do not. We have a lot of choices here on earth, He gave us our intellect to choose for ourselves. But what comes to the eternity, there are only two choices: hell and heaven. But you get to choose, and He also knows what you are going to choose. So, you cannot reject God and still not to go to hell. : )
2007-09-17 12:03:49 · answer #6 · answered by SeeTheLight 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"God says do what you wish, but make the wrong choice and you will be tortured for eternity in hell. That sir, is not free will. It would be akin to a man telling his girlfriend, do what you wish, but if you choose to leave me, I will track you down and blow your brains out. When a man says this we call him a psychopath and cry out for his imprisonment/execution. When god says the same we call him 'loving' and build churches in his honor. " — William C. Easttom IIt.
2007-09-17 12:13:17 · answer #7 · answered by qxzqxzqxz 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one million) definite, we are all proper. the consequence of the autumn weren't as extreme lower back then. 2) unfastened will, whilst it helps evil, is likewise a call for for love. with a view to absolutely do away with evil, God could additionally could desire to do away with the potential of love. 3) God does not prefer us lifeless, He needs us to stay. in spite of the fact that, God has to let us know that there are effects to sin, fairly eternal non secular dying if one refuses to repent. besides, the objective of the Mosaic regulation became to teach us that none human beings ought to degree as much as God's suited customary. for this reason, salvation became going to could desire to be a unfastened present from Him, fairly than some thing we could earn. 4) The unpardonable sin isn't "blasphemy" yet "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit". From the context (e.g., Mark 3:30), it style of feels to be attributing to devil that this is obviously and undeniably from God and for this reason looks now not a threat. 5) that's not basically soliciting for forgiveness it is critical, yet fairly repentant. And somebody who only turns around and maintains murdering infrequently feels like they have been fairly repentant. 6) i think of it is meant to be what we are to attempt for, not inevitably what we can accomplish in any respect cases and in all situations.
2016-12-17 03:47:07 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will is your ability to choose your path...(God just happens to know what it is.)
Freedom for a Christian is not being bound by sin.
When I choose (by freewill) not to drink alcohol, I experience FREEDOM from alcoholism, from hangovers, from associated health issues.
When I choose (by freewill) to keep sex just between my husband and I, I experience FREEDOM from adultery.
When I choose (by freewill) to abstain from doing drugs, I experience FREEDOM from addiction, possible AIDS and overdoses.
Sin is a weight and a bondage my friend....to have the strength not to sin, is FREEDOM, both mentally, physically and spiritually.
2007-09-17 12:30:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
free will is not that way in Christian life you have the ablility to choose paths when circumstances arise God does teach you the correct path by his word but you have free will to choose the path he does not say you must do this path you have free will to choose which one to travel, that is not to say that circumstances do not come up to get you to travel the right one but it is always up to you that is freedom to a Christian the Lord Jesus gave us freedom
2007-09-17 12:00:33 · answer #10 · answered by billc4u 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋